1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer programs and in particular to software for storing different versions of the same web page accessed from an inter- or intra-net source in a client computer program storage device.
2. Description of Related Art
In the course of accessing information by means of a web browser from a network, such as the Internet or a company or office intra-net, a user often finds a web page at a particular URL (Uniform Resource Locator) address that contains information the user would like to re-access. The user may then save the URL in the web browser""s bookmark file of often-accessed web pages for later re-access and retrieval, as desired.
However, web pages and information thereon, in the form of tables, text and graphics, web links and the source code for such information, is subject to change by the web page proprietor without notice. While the changed web page may still be considered to be essentially the same web page, even a difference in one piece of information may be crucial to a particular user. If such information is changed, it may be forever lost to the user.
Accordingly, there is a need for a process and system for enabling a user to store various versions of the same web page in order to save information which is subject to change by the web page proprietor.
Bearing in mind the problems and deficiencies of the prior art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a process and system for storing different versions of the same web page accessed from an inter- or intra-net source in a client computer program storage device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a process and system for storing such different web page versions which permits the user to keep track of the different versions.
A further object of the invention is to provide such a process and system for storing web page versions which enables the user to limit the number of different versions stored.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a process and system which is integrated with a web browser bookmark file.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.
The above and other objects and advantages, which will be apparent to one of skill in the art, are achieved in the present invention which is directed to, in a first aspect, a process for storing web pages accessed from an inter- or intra-net source in a client computer program storage device. First, a client computer accesses a desired web page from an inter- or intra-net source, assigns a first version number to the desired web page and stores the desired (and preferably entire) web page and version number in a program storage device accessible by the client computer. At a later time the client computer re-accesses the desired web page from the inter- or intra-net source, assigning a second version number to the re-accessed desired web page and stores the re-accessed desired (and preferably entire) web page and second version number in the program storage device. There is then created a reference table which includes the first and second version numbers, such that the desired stored web pages may be accessed and viewed by the client computer by reference to the version numbers.
Preferably, the stored web pages include information such as a HTML source file for the web page, graphics imbedded in the HTML source file, javascript code, Java code and any other code referenced by the HTML source file. The invention is most useful for storing different versions of the same web page.
The client computer may include a web browser having a bookmark file for storage of URL addresses of a plurality of web pages including the desired web page. The bookmark file is operable with the web browser to identify and access a selected one of the web pages. The reference table may be created in conjunction with the bookmark file for access through the bookmark file to the desired stored web page.
At a later time, the desired web page may be repeatedly re-accessed from the inter- or intra-net source, wherein there will be assigned a different version number to the re-accessed desired web page each time. The different version number may be sequentially higher or lower than the version number of the previous version number assigned. The again re-accessed desired web pages are stored and assigned different version numbers in the program storage device accessible by the client computer, until a predetermined maximum version number is reached. Once the predetermined maximum version number is reached, a previous version of the desired web page may be deleted from the program storage device and the different version numbers may be reassigned to the remaining versions of the desired web page in sequential order that the versions were accessed and stored.
The version numbers may include designators of different files within the web page and designators of the version of the web page.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a process for accessing from a client computer different versions of a web pages accessed from an inter- or intra-net source. The process comprises storing in a program storage device accessible by the client computer different versions of a desired web page downloaded from an inter- or intra-net source. Each of the different versions of the web page has associated therewith a different version number. The different version numbers are organized in a reference table. A user at the client computer is able to view the reference table containing the different version numbers, select one of the version numbers from the reference table and view the version of the desired web page corresponding to the selected version number.
Preferably, the reference table is stored in a bookmark file of a web browser having storage of URL addresses of a plurality of web pages including the desired web page. The bookmark file is operable with the web browser to identify and access the selected version of the desired web page.
In a further aspect, the present invention provides a system for storing web pages accessed from an inter- or intra-net source. The system comprises a client computer program storage device having stored thereon a first version of a desired web page from an inter- or intra-net source having assigned thereto a first version number and a second version of the desired web page from an inter- or intra-net source having assigned thereto a second version number. The storage device also includes a reference table which includes the first and second version numbers, such that the desired web page version may be accessed and viewed by the client computer by reference to the version numbers. Each of the stored web pages may include information such as a HTML source file for the web page, graphics imbedded in the HTML source file, javascript code, Java code and any other code referenced by the HTML source file. The client computer storage device may include a web browser having a bookmark file for storage of URL addresses of a plurality of web pages including the desired web page. The bookmark file is operable in conjunction with the reference table by the web browser to identify and access a selected version of the web pages.
Preferably, the entire web pages are stored and the version numbers include designators of different files within the web page and designators of the version of the web page.